Members of Parliament have raised serious concerns over what they termed as “irregular” spending by the Government Advertising Agency (GAA) in an ongoing advertisement deal.
Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Information, Communication and Innovation, Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary Stephen Isaboke was pressed to explain the GAA’s spending of Ksh9 million weekly on a single local newspaper to advertise the MyGov publication.
PS Isaboke told the committee that the current arrangement represents a significant cost saving compared to the previous contract, which cost the government Ksh24.5 million weekly to advertise in four newspapers. According to him, the new deal has saved the exchequer Ksh15.5 million weekly, a 63.26 per cent reduction.
“Overall, the government was spending Ksh1.19 billion versus Ksh432 million currently, resulting in a saving of Ksh758 million. Therefore, value for money is clearly demonstrated,” Isaboke stated.
MPs Question Value for Money
Despite the PS’s explanation, MPs challenged the model, questioning how paying Ksh9 million weekly for one newspaper could be considered cheaper than paying Ksh24.5 million for four newspapers, which translates to roughly Ksh6.1 million per paper.
They argued that the previous contract provided better value for money because of higher circulation at the time.
“You are saving while spending that amount on one newspaper only. Initially, four newspapers would carry MyGov, and I believe back then the circulation was way higher as compared to now, so you save at the expense of what?” asked Mbooni MP Erastus Kivasu.
Call for Monitoring and Evaluation
Lawmakers urged PS Isaboke to ensure the GAA implements a proper monitoring and evaluation framework to justify the value for money spent on the current advertising contract.
Committee Chair and Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie further called on the Agency to shift its evaluation framework from manual to digital systems, arguing that the current model was prone to inaccuracies.
This came after PS Isaboke revealed that the GAA relies on delivery lists signed and stamped by the Postal Corporation of Kenya and a private company to ensure compliance with contract terms.
“How do we ensure there is a more digitized measure to track our circulation? You have said you use the post office to record, and I think it is now time to step up and go digital,” Kiarie said.
“It is also not right to rely on the newspaper, which you are their client, to tell you how many issues they circulate every Tuesday; they could say a hundred copies, yet they are fewer or vice versa,” he added.
Next Steps
The committee’s grilling signals growing scrutiny of how public funds are spent on advertising services. MPs have urged the GAA to adopt transparent, digital tracking systems to ensure accountability and accuracy in reporting circulation figures.